...The Story of Pat and Lindsay

February 24, 2012

Lake Placid

As Pat said, since Winter didn't come to us this year, we decided to go to Winter. This last long weekend for Presidents Day, I planned a very last minute get-a-way to Lake Placid, about 5 hours north of Manhattan.

We left on Saturday morning and rented a car from Laguardia Airport. From leaving our apartment, getting our rental car, to getting out of the city took about 2-3 hours. We weren't really intimidated by the long drive since we were just really excited about being in a car. It was a nice drive, but as we got closer the Lake Placid we realized that we probably were very ill prepared for the elements. We weren't expecting any snow, as a few days earlier I called and they said they didn't have any. However, this definitely was not the case. We ended up being fine, but did have a hard time staying out in the cold for long periods of time.

We managed to find a hotel that allowed pets, so believe it or not, we took Montee along! We thought he would enjoy the trip a lot more than he actually did, but for being a cat he did surprisingly well.

While we were there there just happened to be a bobsledding competition, since Lake Placid held the 1980 Olympics. It was really fun to be right up close to the blobsledders, even though we only saw them for a split second as they zoomed passed us at 80 miles per hour. It became a kinda of game for us to try to see if we could capture them in a picture--it only works about a third of the time.

Later on that day we went on a little hike to a 700 foot frozen waterfall that had these wooden walk ways and bridges. It was really nice to be out in nature and just take things slow.

After our hike they had all the supplies to make s'mores. It was a nice little treat and I will NEVER turn down a s'more.

Lake Placid is a very quaint town. It had your touch of the modern with retail stores on main street, but it also kept its history with all the mom and pop shops. It was fun to see so many people engaging in winter activities, such as ice skating on the frozen lake, skiing, and even dog sledding.

All in all, it was really good to be spontaneous and to get out of the city for a day or two. As is anything when it comes to city living, it was a lot of work and money to actually get out city, but we were glad we did it. I think we need to keep life exciting and splurge every once and while to maintain happiness and sanity.

February 20, 2012

V-day Photobooth Crawl {Year Two}

Traditions are good. Traditions make the worry of planning something new and exciting obsolete. I didn't know that last year, when I planned a Photobooth Crawl though the East Village, that I was starting a Valentines Day tradition, but I was! And it is great.

This year Pat and I weren't planning to do anything fun for February 14th, but as the day got closer and I started to feel more and more guilty for becoming that old-boring-married-couple, so I decided that we should go on another Photobooth Crawl to keep in line with my goals of making and keeping traditions.

This year took MUCH less planning than last year since all the hard labor was already don. All I had to do was make reservations for 6, which soon became 4 when our friends Casey and Todd decided to have a baby instead. Don't worry, I forgive them. :)

However, not all was lost since our friends, Klane and Angie, were still game for a night of photobooth crawling. The night was EXTRA special for Angie, who had never been in a photobooth before. Let me repeat. Angie had never been in a photobooth before!!! When she told me this I was so happy that I decided to start this tradition. It's just NOT okay for someone to have never been in a photobooth.

I know. These picture make it seem like I have serious disabilities.

The night was so much fun! And I happy to say that Angie has now been in multiple photobooths!

February 14, 2012

Fun. We are young.

Have you heard this song? Pat played it for me about a week ago, and has been playing it everyday at least twice ever since, always once right before we go to bed. It has been stuck in my head constantly. I love it.

February 10, 2012

DIY Scratch-Off Valentine Cards

Tonight for our weekly activity for the young women at my church, we made scratch-off Valentines cards. I have seen DIY scratch-off card ideas circulating around pinterest a while back, and thought it was the cutest thing, which is not surprising at all due to my love for the lotto.

The cards were surprisingly very easy to make and only required a few items:

1. Acrylic Paint (I used silver, but any color can be used)

2. Dish Soap

3. Pen

4. Small paint brush

5. Card printed on cardstock

6. White crayon

After you have all the material, you will be shocked at how simple the process is.

1. PRINT: Print card design on cardstock (see my designs below which can be downloaded).

2. WRITE MESSAGE: In the hearts that will be scratched off, write sweet things for your Valentine with a pen. In my case I offered small acts of service, but it can be anything...be creative. Warning: Before you move onto the next step make sure the ink is COMPLETELY dry. A thin Sharpie may work best, but not necessary.

3. CRAYON: Cover message, and where ever the scratch-off area will be, completely with a white crayon.

4. MIX PAINT: Mix a 2 to 1 ratio of paint to dish soap (the 2 being the dishsoap) on a small plate. You don't need a lot. I only used 1/2 tsp paint and 1/4 tsp dish soap for this one card and had tons left over.

5. PAINT: Paint mixture over the area that you covered with the crayon. You will need to be very liberal with your your application, as the wax from the crayon will act as a repellent. I applied very thick amounts of paint on in a dapping motion. You can also repeat this process once it has dried. If the paint appears bumpy or uneven don't worry because when it dries it will be perfectly smooth.

6. DRY: Due to the thickness of the paint and the fact that the paint can't be absorbed in the paper, the valentine will need to dry for about 1 hour before it is completely dry.

7. SCRATCH: Provide a penny for your Valentine to scratch off their personalized message that is just for them.